Of Videogames and Dirty Plates
by xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx
Summary: It's date night on the Bounty. The two single ninja are left to do chores and play videogames. "I'm sure you'll find someone, Cole." "What if I don't want to?"


It was date night.

The one night of a month that Cole absolutely dreaded. In which Jay and Nya, Zane and Pixal, _and_ Kai and Skylor all picked a place to hand and talk cheesy romance. And this once a month was steadily increasing, which Cole loathed. Of course Sensei Wu took this opportunity to go do, _whatever_ Senseis did when they disappeared, so it was just him and Lloyd manning the ship.

He nearly cracked his controller.

Lloyd rested against his shoulder, eyes narrowed as he threw complicated smashes at Cole's avatar. Well, at least it provided good bonding between the two still-can't-decide leaders.

They were nearing the end of their game, Lloyd was so lost in winning. They were both down to about their last life, and Cole was not going to give up. Neither was Lloyd.

"The great Green Ninja, I shall defeat thee!" Cole declared, trying his best to imitate Jay. Lloyd's eyes drifted for a millisecond and Cole used it to defeat him. Lloyd growled angrily.

"Best two out of three!" He proclaimed, and Cole chuckled. Lloyd pouted, remembering the deal Sensei said. One game, one chore. Cole ruffled Lloyd's hair as the other got up, pushing himself up as well.

"Let's go clean some dishes," Cole offered. Lloyd smiled a bit, following him into the kitchen. "I'll clean, you dry."

Lloyd grumbled a bit. "Y'know, we have _flying cars_ but yet we don't have a dishwasher?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "If you can't handle dirty dishes you won't handle wounds in battle," he said, quoting Zane. "And Wu is such a stickler for old fashioned ways."

Lloyd chuckled a bit, turning on the tap in both sinks and warming the water with his powers, just enough to not "burn the water" and placed the cleaning tablets in the other.

The black ninja was quiet for a while, passing dishes to Lloyd silently. Lloyd's eyebrow rose. Cole probably said less than any of them, but being quiet this long? "What's going on in there, boulderbrain?" He said, flashing the other a smile.

"How old are you?"

Lloyd blinked. "Like really? Fourteen or fifteen I think. But I'm nineteen like most of you." Kai just had his twentieth birthday, and Nya was eighteen, but he was in the general age group.

"Cool," Cole replied, a soft tone in his voice.

"Why?"

The other shook his head. "I just—nothing."

Lloyd scrunched his nose. "C'mon, tell me."

The Earth Master's fist clenched, and he tried not to touch anything as orange gathering in his fist, and gently released the tension.

A sigh came from Lloyd, who had his arms crossed. "That," he huffed, pointing to Cole's fist, "is not nothing."

Cole faced away from him. "Nothing."

Lloyd's eyes dropped to the floor. "If you don't wanna tell me, that's okay, but I'm worried."

The black ninja shook a bit, fists clenching. "I just... when are you gonna ditch me too?" He bites out, scrubbing at the dishes so fast Lloyd scrambles to keep up.

"Ditch you?" Lloyd looks confused, then dawns realization. "You really think I'm mentally ready to date?"

Cole eyed him. "Dunno, you're more the type to lean on others, so," he shrugs, going back to the mountain and retrieving Jay and Nya's matching mugs, staring at them. "Look, I love them, but they never even wanna spend time with me. And I don't wanna third wheel their dates so..."

The green ninja smiled. "I'm sure you'll find someone Cole."

"What if I don't want to?"

The question stabs Lloyd in the back. His mind tumbled and tries to process it. "You don't want to?" He asks numbly. "You don't want to find someone? Like at all?"

Cole laughs hollowly. "Yeah, I know. Heartless monster and all that." He shakes his head, and Lloyd can see tears forming.

"N-no, you're not heartless Cole! You've got like the biggest heart out of all of us!" Lloyd protests. "You're the best at comfort and you're just the best big brother. I just... didn't process it."

"Not what Pops says," Cole mumbles under his breath, and shots Lloyd a reassuring look as he realizes that was a bit to loud. "I mean, it's not that bad but I... I just don't want to, kiss someone and," his face tightening, "y'know, _that_ thing."

Lloyd shudders. "Yeah, I agree on that."

Cole's head snaps to face him. "You're...?"

The blond teen smiles. "Ace too? Yeah, at least I'm pretty sure. All that puberty," Lloyd shivered, "guess I found out a couple things."

"Too much info, shortstop," Cole says, eyebrows wiggling, and Lloyd nearly drops the glass to go red.

He spluttered. "I mean, I guess you're right. I kinda want to be with _someone._ I don't know who yet, but... y'know."

Cole looked at him. "No, I don't," he said, a smile tugging at his lips as Lloyd opened his mouth and tried to apologize, snapping it shut and glaring when he realized the joke.

"Meanie," he huffed, crossing his arms.

"Watch out, I can still see the eight year old UNLEASH CHAOS! kid there," Cole warned, and Lloyd stuck out his tongue.

Lloyd wipes the dish with a bit of force, and it cracks. He frowns and Cole chuckles. "You have no idea how many times I've bought new plates. It's like the Eternal Goldfish story but with the dishes. And glasses. And utensils."

The green ninja gaps. "The _steel_ ones?"

Cole gives him a look. "I can lift the entire team and you doubt my ability to snap forks?"

His response was a serious nod, and they finally finished up the dishes.

"Have you ever thought of like, a platonic partner?" Lloyd asks out of the blue, and flushes again. "I mean, that's super personal and you don't have to answer but..."

"Yeah," the other interrupts, thinking. "I guess like you said, haven't found the right person. But I mean, I'm really happy with just you guys, I shouldn't be complaining 'cause it's only once a month, twelve times a year, I got all the other days."

Lloyd blinks. "You haven't told the others."

Cole looks horrified. "And to think how Jay and Nya would take that? I was angry at myself when I realized it was just admiration at Nya, gods I could never say that to Jay or he'd hate me! Nya would too, and the Kai would go crazy and then half the team would want me dead!"

A silence overtook the Bounty, Lloyd stared at his teammate with a saddened look, aching to comfort him but unable to do anything.

"I don't think they'd hate you," Lloyd tried, "If-If you want, I can be there and help, you just have to explain it to them."

There was no response, as suddenly Cole found the floor very interesting. "No... they wouldn't. Lloyd, I know Jay better than anyone. He'd, he'd be _furious._ Nya too. She had to stress over all that for nothing? It's better to let them believe that I let Jay have her. Please."

Two hands balled up into fists. "Then you don't know Jay as well as you think you do. He'd be angry for a bit, maybe, but he loves you Cole! Everyone on the team does! They'd understand! If not I will personally kick them off the team," Lloyd hesitated. "I'll come out with you if you want, so you're not alone."

Cole's eyes misted a bit, smiling a bit. "And it's a wonder why you're the team leader. Thanks Lloyd. I—I'll think about it okay? I promise I will." He paused. "Why don't you play a game, I'll go draw for a bit."

Lloyd smiled. "I'll join you, you can see my awesome stick figure heroes battling colorful blobs!"

The Master of Earth laughed. "C'mon, you can't be _that_ bad."

"Are you insulting my ability?" Lloyd scoffed, raising his nose. "I will now personally draw you the worse, most cringe-worthy stick-figure-vs-blob fight you have ever seen!"

Cole grinned. "Not if I beat you to it."

* * *

A/N: honestly I hold this hc so dearly to me. It's a new fresh idea that I like (and ace Lloyd is just...ajsnsj) so prepare for another one.


End file.
